The little big man at McDaniel

Joe Rollins had 34 carries
for 234 yards in the second-to-last game of 2010 and carries that
momentum into 2011.McDaniel photo by David Sinclair

At 5-6, Joe Rollins might be the shortest guy his McDaniel
teammates look up to.

But they have good reason to do so. The sophomore from Temple
Hills, Md., has made a name for himself in his first season as a
starter. He’s become a driving force of the offense,
averaging 6.3 yards a carry and finding the end zone nine
times.

“It’s a really good feeling to know that
you’re on a team that has your back,” the rusher
said.

Rollins said that it’s his size that makes him the kind of
threat he is. His ability and his strength are deceptive. Opponents
underestimate him. It often takes more than one hit to knock him
down. Defenders can’t easily wrap him up.

“He plays like a much bigger back as far as his strength
and his ability to break tackles,” said McDaniel running
backs coach Tony Vinson. “He tends to catch a lot of people
off-guard.”

In a few short weeks, Rollins and first-year coach Vinson have
forged a strong mentorship, both on and off the field. Vinson is a
former NCAA record-holding running back and NFL player. He said his
professional experience has helped him realize the need to be
“a complete player” -- one who can run, block and pass
protect.

“As a coach, you can’t just work on one facet of a
player’s game,” Vinson said. “You have to make
him a well-rounded player.”

That’s the plan for Rollins. The coach said the
student-athlete has a lot of natural ability and talent. Rollins
said his success this year comes not just from getting stronger and
faster in the offseason but rather from getting more playing time.
Last year, he played behind a senior and wasn’t in harmony
with his teammates and the playbook.

“I didn’t get that same connection with the
offensive line, the coaches, the quarterbacks,” Rollins said.
“Now that I’m the primary running back, I get a lot
more time to connect with the linemen and understand the blocking
schemes and the assignments and what they’re going to do.

“I know more of what’s going to happen before it
happens.”

Rollins said he enjoys being in the spotlight, something he
never got to bask in even as potent rusher in high school.
Nowadays, some people on the Green Terror team have nicknamed him
J-Roll. Around campus, he’s becoming known as Super Joe. In
other instances, it’s simply Superman, or Anytime.

He credits a lot of the success to Vinson. Rollins confided his
goals to his coach in the preseason. They talk about more than
football. Rollins has met Vinson’s family and gets the push
he needs from the coach.

“He said he sees a lot more in me than I think I see in
myself,” Rollins said.

Vinson is a man who focuses on the details. Specifically, he has
helped correct Rollins’ stance or the angle of his runs.

“He critiques the little things to help make me more
productive,” Rollins said.

Vinson said he and Rollins pore over the nuances of the sport.
In the future, he said he’d “like to see Joe really
understand the game, understand what defenses are trying to do to
him, how they’re planning, how as an offense we can beat
those schemes.”

McDaniel has begun the season a disappointing 1-4, with no loss
coming by more than eight points. Rollins knows his burden on the
field is a large one, and he said that the losses hurt.

But, he said, “The positive thing I get out of this is
that we are a young team. … With the program that we have,
we’re building upon it. We’re learning how to fight to
the very end.”

Decades in the making

Washington and Lee hit some of its highest marks in decades,
thanks to a 63-0 blowout against Guilford. Saturday’s point
total was W&L’s largest since 1951, and the margin of
victory was the most since 1922. It also pointed to a rare shutout
by the Generals. The offense was mounted largely on the shoulders
of junior Luke Heinsohn, who was honored by the ODAC for his 167
yards and four touchdowns. He far outpaced anyone else on the
field. The Generals also put up 125 yards passing, a total eclipsed
only by the yardage from the previous week’s victory against
Alma.

The wagon goes back to Carlisle

A Red Devil passing performance of 234 yards, 116 of which went
to Cam DiFede, hoisted the team over rival Franklin and Marshall
and won back the coveted Conestoga Wagon Trophy. Connor Thompson
posted 11 total tackles, 10 solo, but it was F&M that was able
to get to the ball quickly and often, as a team notched 10 tackles
for loss. Diplomats defensive lineman C.T. Marsh had a standout
performance consisting of 2.5 sacks, inching him closer to a school
record.

Rapid roundup

Hampden-Sydney had a monster third quarter with 24 points,
including a pick-6 by Sean Stewart, to pull ahead of Catholic in a
31-17 win. Turnovers can be crucial, and Stewart’s
interception was one of four H-SC nabbed. The others were by
Charlie Shoemaker, who had two, and Zach Morgan.

Ursinus quarterback Chris Curran had a day of personal bests,
completing 30 passes on 40 attempts for a total of 314 yards. He
spread the ball out, hitting eight receivers in the team’s
42-7 win over Moravian.

Two N.C. Wesleyan rushers -- Jacques Alston and Jamal Smith --
broke 100 yards while the defense pulled in five interceptions in
the Bishops’ 29-0 win over Averett.

Philip Volz recovered a flubbed Greensboro punt in the end zone
to get Shenandoah started toward a 30-7 win over Greensboro.
Wideout Rico Wallace also put up heavy yardage with 199 receiving
and a touchdown.

I would be happy to hear from anyone who has questions or
feedback regarding the Around the Mid-Atlantic column or Division
III football in general. Please write to me at
ryan.tipps@d3sports.com or follow me on Twitter @D3MidAtlantic. I invite
you to talk about players and performances on the message
board’s Around the
Mid-Atlantic thread. Additionally, if there is an idea
you’d like to see me write about, post it there or email
me.

Adam Turer graduated in 2006 from Washington and Lee University, where he was a two-year starter at free safety. He lives in Cincinnati and covers area high school sports in addition to his full-time job as an attorney. Adam has contributed to D3football.com since 2007 and is in his third season as Around the Mid-Atlantic columnist.